Full text

Turn on search term navigation

Copyright Nature Publishing Group Jul 2016

Abstract

Van der Waals assembly of two-dimensional crystals continue attract intense interest due to the prospect of designing novel materials with on-demand properties. One of the unique features of this technology is the possibility of trapping molecules between two-dimensional crystals. The trapped molecules are predicted to experience pressures as high as 1 GPa. Here we report measurements of this interfacial pressure by capturing pressure-sensitive molecules and studying their structural and conformational changes. Pressures of 1.2±0.3 GPa are found using Raman spectrometry for molecular layers of 1-nm in thickness. We further show that this pressure can induce chemical reactions, and several trapped salts are found to react with water at room temperature, leading to two-dimensional crystals of the corresponding oxides. This pressure and its effect should be taken into account in studies of van der Waals heterostructures and can also be exploited to modify materials confined at the atomic interfaces.

Details

Title
Van der Waals pressure and its effect on trapped interlayer molecules
Author
Vasu, K S; Prestat, E; Abraham, J; Dix, J; Kashtiban, R J; Beheshtian, J; Sloan, J; Carbone, P; Neek-amal, M; Haigh, S J; Geim, A K; Nair, R R
Pages
12168
Publication year
2016
Publication date
Jul 2016
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1802209929
Copyright
Copyright Nature Publishing Group Jul 2016